Textile Fragment

The intertwining floriated tendrils and the elongated ogival borders of this textile fragment were produced by block-printing methods. Boldly decorated, it also features painted designs at the center which form curving stems of the red and white flower petals. The vibrancy of the red dye comes from Indian mulberry, which was commonly used in dye practices associated with Gujarat. The stylistic motifs seen in this textile’s ornamentation are reminiscent of those in Jain manuscript painting.

The bold presence and vibrancy of the dyes reinforces the importance of western India as a prominent producer of cotton textiles. Found in Fustat (known as Old Cairo), this textile serves as evidence of the Indian Ocean maritime trade and travel relations between both these areas and highlights their transregional and cross-cultural connections during the sixteenth century.